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Astro festivals, star parties, workshops

There are some awesome winter star parties coming up, where amateur astronomers with telescopes will show you the night sky. Find one near you …

Here is Dan Lewelyn at Deerlick Astronomy Village near Atlanta, Georgia. Photo by Dave Woolsteen.

Interested in astronomy, but not sure where to begin? A first step can be to seek out your local astronomy club. It consists of a roomful of willing and able amateur astronomers, whose telescopes may offer your first glimpse of the cosmos. The Astronomical League, an umbrella organization of 240 amateur astronomy clubs and societies in the U.S.

Jump below the photo for a list of upcoming events! If no web link is given, it’s because the information for the upcoming event hasn’t been posted yet. Check back.

Jim Elliott of Powell, Ohio, contributed this photo. He wrote: “The moon over Jupiter over Columbus, Ohio, at the OSU planetarium star party. April 16, 2016.”

View larger. | Max Corneau wrote: “On May 6, 2016, approximately 30 members of the Texas Astronomical Society of Dallas enjoyed a new moon weekend evening at the club’s dark sky site in southeast Oklahoma. Now in its 61st year, TAS is one of the largest amateur astronomical societies in America with 625 members. The Bortle Class-3 skies at the club’s dark site are dark enough to enjoy every aspect of astronomy. I captured this 100-minute deep sky image of the Trifid Nebula after staying up all night …”

Upcoming astronomy events …winter and spring, 2017

January 25–29, 2017
Orange Blossom Special XXII International Star Party
Withlacoochee River Park, Dade City, Floridastpeteastronomyclub.org

January 27-28, 2017
Furnace Creek Resort star party in Death Valley National Park, California
Hosted by the Las Vegas Astronomical Societywww.furnacecreekresort.com

Tentatively sheduled for June 22-25, 2017
Wisconsin Observers’ Weekend
Hartman Creek State Park just west of Waupaca, Wisconsinwww.new-star.org/index.php

Texas Star Party, one of the biggest public astronomy events of each year, drawing about 500 deep-sky enthusiasts and their telescopes to the Davis Mountains of West Texas. Image used with permission, via Todd Hargis and Ron Ronhaar.

Bottom line: List of astronomy and night sky events for the public, for 2015 and 2016, compiled in cooperation with the awesome Astronomical League. Join in, and have fun!